Interaction during a Supervisory Episode - Essay Example

Interaction during a Supervisory Episode Introduction Newly qualified health practitioners are equipped with adequate knowledge and skills to allow them execute their duties and responsibilities effectively and efficiently. The training program ensures that those who qualify are highly competitive, and that they are ready to discharge their services for the purpose of enhancing patient welfare. However, this does not rule out the occurrence of challenges in the actual practice. Newly qualified health practitioners are likely to experience practice-related challenges, thus the need to have trainer-trainee interactions in the actual practice. The clinical setting is made up of numerous fields, all of which work to the best interest of the patients or clients. The dental practice setting is essentially one of these fields. Newly qualified dentists (foundation dentists) are subjected to the supervision of the trainers (supervisors) in order to enhance their knowledge, skills, and practice experience. The interaction between trainers and trainees is designed to mentor and coach the trainees, thus improving their ways of addressing and countering practice-related challenges. Case Study In the dental practice setting, extraction of tooth is a normal activity. It is one of the many ways through patients improve their dental health. After a close examination by the dentist, the patient is advised accordingly. There are different procedures designed to promote dental health, tooth extraction included. Once a dentist examines the patient’s tooth, the dentist advises the patient on what to do. For deteriorated tooth conditions, the patient could be advised to undergo tooth extraction. Both experienced and foundation dentists can perform this procedure. Where a trainer-trainee interaction is in progress, the foundation dentists are expected to undertake the task under the supervision of the trainer. This is done to enhance practice experience and effectiveness of handling dental-related tasks or procedures by the foundation dentist. In my line of supervision, this is exactly what unfolds in the dental practice unit. In most cases, a foundation dentist can successfully perform tooth extraction. However, there is an instance when a foundation dentist attempted tooth extraction but failed to remove the tooth. As the trainer, I had to come in and complete the extraction. After a successful completion of the procedure, it was vital for the trainee and me to engage in a discussion about the tooth extraction situation. As the trainer, I did not deem the procedure as a failed one on the trainee’s side. Rather, it provided the trainee an opportunity to reflect on how such a challenge can be countered in future. In this respect, it was vital for the foundation dentist and me to hold a meeting that would basically be a trainer-trainee interaction. I arranged a suitable time for the meeting after the patient left. The challenge that the foundation dentist experienced provided a timely situation for discussing the foundation dentist’s achievements. In the process, aspects that needed to be improved would be highlighted. This would consequently enhance the dentist’s overall practice experience. It is important to note that trainees should never feel intimated by practice-related challenges (Van Ooijen, 2009, p.103). Rather, they should take such challenges as opportunities through which they advance their knowledge, skills, and practice experience. The trainer-trainee meeting was expected to yield positive practice results on the trainee’s side. For this reason, it was important to ensure that the foundation dentist had enough time to reflect on the tooth extraction procedure. Allowing the trainee some time before the meeting would ensure that the dentist notes what went right and what went wrong. This takes into account the foundation dentist’s feeling about the appointment. Moreover, the said time frame would give the trainee an ample time to think about the points that would be discussed in the actual meeting. The interaction between the trainer and the trainee should be set in an environment that allows both parties to interact freely and without time to time interruptions (Neufeldt, 2004; Pierce, 2004). This is designed to ensure that both parties can comfortably discuss the matters at hand. When the actual meeting time came, the foundation dentist showed up as earlier arranged. The agenda of the day sets off, and the question I pose to the foundation dentist is: What went well for you? The dentist’s response showed that an actual reflection on the situation had critically been undertaken. The foundation dentist noted that the challenge faced when tooth removal failed had provided an opportunity for the analysis of the procedure. The dentist noted that every aspect of the appointment was a success, especially after I completed the extraction as the trainer. It was evident that the foundation dentist had established a professional relation platform with the patient. There were no communication barriers or misunderstandings between the trainee and the patient. The trainee noted that he was overconfident about successfully completing the tooth extraction. However, the situation proved that even confidence has its limits. The trainee noted that my help as a trainer was successful. My help in addressing the situation enabled the trainee to note what went wrong. The foundation dentist highlighted that his signal to ask for help was well taken, and that the situation showed the extent to which trainers are useful in coaching their trainees. Supervisors are charged with the duty and responsibility of mentoring and coaching the trainees in order to have their practical skills and experience improved (Baker, Exum, and Tyler, 2002). This is an aspect that the foundation dentist felt went well. The next question was: What did you feel was difficult for you during the procedure? The trainee highlighted that the chance of a complication occurring was overlooked when preparing for the tooth extraction. In other words, the trainee failed to make provisions for any complexity or practice-related challenge, an aspect that could have provided for a quick alternative when the trainee realized that the tooth removal was relatively difficult. Again, the overconfidence issue was revisited by the trainer, and further observations on the difficult aspect were made. Completing the task was observed to be difficult, but only in the sense that tooth extraction was not solely completed by the trainee. My help in completing the tooth extraction, however, alleviated this difficulty. Also, knowledge and skill application in the actual procedure was difficult. The trainee admitted that his approach to the task was not the best. On that note, he committed himself to critically planning for dental procedures before undertaking them, subject to my supervision, mentorship, and coaching. Discussion Based on the trainer-trainee interaction presented in the case study above, there are some issues, concerns, and commendable points that need to be discussed in relation to the foundation dentist. In the process, the role of the trainer in promoting trainee’s professional growth and development cannot be overlooked (Ellis, Krengel, and Beck, 2002; Tsui, 2005, p.194). The good point is that the trainee had a good start. Although the procedure proved to be difficult for the trainee at some point, the commitment to provide care to the patient did not fade away. This prompted me to offer my supervisory help as it is the case under the mentoring and coaching program. The trainees approach to the dental procedure was satisfactory. Whilst the foundation dentist adhered to the set guidelines of undertaking tooth extraction, a number of improvements were deemed necessary in the light of the trainer-trainee meeting. Full preparation is vital in relation to undertaking any dental procedure. Doing so pre-introduces the practitioner to any unforeseen difficulties, challenges, or complexities. Another aspect that is important to improve is the confidence level. Fear or overconfidence can greatly affect the outcome of any given procedure. The trainer should learn to monitor and regulate perception and reactions regardless of the field of placement (Humphrey and Stokes, 2000, p.187). Managing a situation in a timely manner is also essential. Take a scenario where the trainer in the above case study is not available when the foundation dentist is performing the procedure. The clinical practitioner is expected to solve the problem without endangering the patient’s life. This calls for predetermination of appropriate referral before the procedure begins. Time management is a critical factor in ensuring that the situation is under control in every aspect. The tooth extraction situation in the above cases study is just but one of the many situations that arise in dental practice. There are situations where patients successfully undergo tooth extractions but develop complications thereafter. These complications include but are not limited to: gum bleeding, gum infections, slow wound healing, and broken stiches if any. Such situations have to be addressed as they arise, necessitating the dentist to be fully equipped professionally. The ultimate target of mentoring and coaching the trainee is to enhance practical experience (Page and Wosket, 2007, p.131) in the dental practice setting. To achieve this, the trainee needs to be subjected to as many dental cases as possible. This would include those undertaken by the trainer in the presence of the trainee and vice versa, as well as the foundation dentist alone. Progress assessment and evaluation from time to time will also come in handy, alongside continued application of mentorship and coaching to develop foundation dentist’s practical experience and skills. Reference List Baker, S. B., Exum, H. A., and Tyler, R. E. (2002). The developmental process of clinical supervisors in training: An investigation of the supervisor complexity model, Counsellor Education & Supervision, 42, 15-30. Ellis, M. V., Krengel, M., and Beck, M. (2002). Testing self-focused attention theory in clinical supervision: Effects of supervisee anxiety and performance, Journal of Counselling Psychology, 49, 101-116. Humphrey, B. and Stokes, J. (2000). The 21st Century Supervisor, HR Magazine, 185-192. Neufeldt, S. A. (2004). Clinical Supervision, Therapist Development and Culturally Sensitive Practice. [Online] Available at: http://www.psychsem.com/clinicalsup.html [Accessed April 01, 2004]. Page, S. and Wosket, V. (2007). Supervising the Counsellor, A Cyclical Model, London: Routledge. Pierce, E. C. (2004). Supervision. [Online] Available at: http://home.san.rr.com/edwardpierce/Supervision%20Contract.htm [Accessed April 02, 2004]. Tsui, M. S. (2005). Social work supervision: Contexts and concepts, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. Van Ooijen, E. (2009). Clinical Supervision - A Practical Guide, London: Churchill Livingstone. Read More